Method and device for monitoring the production process of automatic yarn winding machines

ABSTRACT

Method of monitoring the production process of automatic winding machines includes forming and indicating, in predetermined time intervals, a handicap net efficiency from action of at least one of the winding stations of the winding machine, and an actual net efficiency actually resulting from running and shutdown of the winding machine, and system for carrying out the foregoing method.

United States Patent [1 1 Gebald [451 May 7,1974

[ METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MONITORING THE PRODUCTION PROCESS OF AUTOMATIC YARN WINDING MACHINES [75] Inventor: Gregor Gebald, Rheydt, Germany [73] Assignee: W. Schlofhorst & Co.,

Monchengladbach, Germany 221 Filed: June 29,1970

211 App]. No.: 50,124

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 27, 1969 Germany 1932549 [52] US. Cl 235/l5l.3, 28/64, 28/72 R, 66/1 R, 73/160, 289/l.5, 289/18 [51] Int. Cl G06f 15/36, DOlh 13/32 [58] Field of Search 28/47, 48, 49, 64, 72 R; 66/1 R, 125; 73/160; 83/13; 235/1513;

41/0775? MUN/TOP/A/G 10/57/62 0/? COM/ 7AM r-PUZSf TP/INSM/TTE/P l/FASZ/F/A/G P016625 1 I. T/Mf [4411/5 FOP sipy/cws [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,371,568 3/1968 Felix 83/13 3,598,328 8/1971 Richards et a1 242/28 Primary ExaminerMalColm A. Morrison Assistant Examiner-R. Stephen Dildine, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or FirmHerbert L. Lerner 57 ABSTRACT 4 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure r "1 N/5m? DIV/DER My invention relates to method of monitoring the production or manufacturing process of automatic yarn-winding as well as to device for carrying out the method.

The production process of automatic yarn-winding machines is affected, on the one hand, by the action or function of the automatic yarn-winding machine proper, i.e., for example by the regular operation of all the individual parts of this automatic yarn-winding machine and on the other hand, by the activity of the servicing personnel who, depending upon the degree of automatization, for example, feeds supply coil or cops, exchanges wound cheeses or cross-wound coils and removes or must have removed all troubles or faults that occur.

To monitor the activity of servicing personnel of an automatic yarn-winding machine, almost the same computing methods have been employed heretofore as have been known previously from non-automatic yarnwinding machines, i.e., the amount of wound yarn, for example, was determined by measuring the weight of the cheeses or wound coils or by counting the number of supply coils or cops. Besides, the possibilities of manipulation of such measurement or count by the servicing personnel, this monitoring method has the disadvantage that it does not take into account the action or function of the automatic yarn-winding machine. This action or function is, on the one hand, dependent upon the regular operation of the individual parts of the yarn-winding machine, and on the other hand, dependent on influencing or controlling values that are present outside the winding machine, such as, for example, the quality of the yarn being wound, the degree of cleaning thereof, the size of the coils and so forth.

Since these influencing values present outside the winding machine can be determined as an average or mean value over a relatively long time period, for example of a yarn lot, the endeavors for monitoring the action of the automatic yarn-winding machine. Thus, there has been described, for example, in the German Federal Republic Published Patent Application No. 1,034,079 that special locations in the yarn-winding machine should be monitored during regular operation thereof and, in the event of faulty operation, either an alarm signal should be released or the action should be repeated or the yarn-winding machine or the winding station thereof be shut down entirely. The use of average or mean values for the influencing values located outside the winding machine can result in grave misjudgmentsfbecause the actual values, under certain conditions, can deviate considerably from the average or mean values. Furthermore, the monitoring of the action of the automatic yarn-winding machine proper is not suited also to monitoring the activity of the servicing personnel because many possibilities of manipulating the values or figures resulting therefrom are ever present.

In practice, there has been an occasional changeover to monitoring the production process by determining the net efflciency or the entire production resulting from the running and shutdown of the machine. For this purpose, for example, the running time and the down time of the yarn-winding machine or the individual winding stations thereof to the total operating time were set up in proportion. In other cases, according to a type of multimoment method, all of the respective running winding stations and all of the respective shutdown winding stations of a yarn-winding machine in predetermined time intervals were counted. The ratio of these two counts then revealed the net efficiency of the entire production. The net efficiency of the entire production is not suitable, however, for monitoring the production process, since one is unable to determine if a poor net efficiency is caused by poor or inadequate activity of the servicing personnel or poor or inade quate action or function of the automatic winding machine or winding station thereof.

It is an object of my invention to provide. method and device for monitoring the production process of automatic yarn winding machines which affords a capability of evaluating or estimating, by the simplest possible means, the action or activity of both the winding machine and the servicing personnel.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I provide method of monitoring the production process of. automatic winding machines which comprises forming and indicating, in predetermined time intervals, a hand icap net efficiency from action of at least one of the winding stations of the winding machine, and an actual net efficiency resulting from running or shutdown of the winding machine. The handicap net efficiency can be formed by including in the down times resulting from the action of the winding machine, the average manual servicing times resulting from actual experienced data and which are necessary for the circumstance wherein the machine is unable to overcome the shutdown thereof automatically. Thus, the handicap net efficiency is the ratio of the down time, determined as set forth in the prior sentence, or the running time, taking into consideration the aforementioned down time, to the total operating time. Since this handicap net efficiency thus takes into account the average work output of a servicing employee, a comparison of this handicap net efficiency to the actual net efficiency which is the running or shutdown of the machine to the total operating time, for example according to the multimomentmethod, indicates if the activity of the servicing employee is better or poorer than the presumed or required average activity. Thereby, all outer influences are eliminated that are founded in the action or function of the automatic winding machine proper and are withdrawn from the influence of the servicing employee, such as, for example, faulty operations of the operating means of the winding machine, shut-downs caused by the yarn, such as, for example, breaks in the yarn, severing of the yarn due to cutting by the yarn cleaner, running out of the yarn as the supply coil becomes empty and so forth. Since these outer influences on the action or function of the winding machine, enter into the handicap net efficiency, only the difference between the handicap net efficiency and the actual net efficiency is decisive for the determination of the activity of the servicing personnel, it being immaterial whether the handicap net efficiency is good or bad i.e., whether the action or function of the automatic winding machine proper is good or bad. Consequently, this difference can also be employed as a standard for pay ment to the servicing personnel.

On the other hand, this method affords the possibility, moreover, of monitoring the action of the winding machine or the individual winding stations thereof, since the handicap net efficiency immediately drops considerably when the action or function of the winding machine or the individual winding stations slackens or diminishes because, for example, due to deteriorated or impaired yarn, frequent knotting operations must be performed. if the same yarn is being wound under the same preconditions on several winding machines, a comparison of the actions or functions of these winding machines afford the opportunityv of monitoring the winding machines, because, for example, irregular operation of a winding machine becomes readily apparent in the reduction of the handicap net efficiency of that winding machine with respect to the other winding machines. Furthermore, the handicap net efficiency can be compared to a nominal or desired net efficiency which, on the basis of experimental data for the action or function of the winding machine is established as the net efficiency being striven for. In this manner, the operation of several winding machines with different pre-conditions can be estimated. in both cases, when there is a reduction in the handicap net efficiency, su-

pervisory personnel, by observing the machine, can rapidly ascertain the machine defect and repair it.

An advantage of the method of my invention is also that the supervisory personnel need not monitor any longer a large number of measured values, but rather only two measured values, namely the handicap net efticiency and the actual net efficiency, and that by means of these two measured values, both the activity of the servicing personnel as well as the action or function of the automatic winding machine and therewith the entire production process can be monitored.

As mentioned hereinbefore, the machine shutdown periodsresulting from the action of the winding machine or the individual winding stations are determined for forming the handicap net efficiency. Various proposals for determining these machine shutdown periods require, however, quite a high cost in measurement techniques. This can be markedly reduced if, in accordance with another feature of my invention, to form the handicap net efficiency, the time periods expended for l the knotting actions within the predetermined time interval are added, and to this sum a time value is added which is composed of periods of manual labor used on the average, within the predetermined time interval, which are necessary for eliminating machine shutdowns, such as at the exchange of cross-wound coils or cheeses, for example. This feature of my invention is based on the realization that the time periods employed for the knotting operations yield clear-cut evidence as to the action or function of the automatic winding machine or the individual winding stations. It is immaterial, however, as to why the knotting device has been activated i.e., if a supply coil is empty, a thread is broken, a take-up spool is changed, the thread cleaner is actuated or the like. The time periods used for the knotting operations always provide a clear and definite measure for the action of the winding machine or the individual winding stations. These shutdown periods employed for the knotting operations are lengthened only by the possibly necessary manual servicing periods which are considered as mean or average values for the formation of the handicap net efficiency.

The time periods employed for the knotting operations can, for'example, be measured directly as time values at the machine. in group winding machines which have one knotting device for several winding stations, the time periods used for the knotting operations can also be determined from the average or mean travel time of the knotting device of the winding stations, as the case may be, the average or mean travel time being that time that results from the pure travel time and the shutdown times. if one is dealing with a group winding machine with circulating winding stations, for example, the mean travel time of the winding station'can, for example, be determined from the time intervals required by a predetermined number of winding stations to pass the knotting device or the time intervals required by a specific winding station to pass the knotting device for repeated times. Another means of determining the mean or average travel time of the winding stations lies, for example, in the measurement of the number of the winding stations which have passed the knotting device in a predetermined time interval or in the measurement of the frequency with which a specific winding station passes the knotting device in a predetermined time interval.

In many cases, it can be especially advantageous if the time periods employed for the knotting operation are determined by evaluating the frequency of the knotting operations and multiplying this value with the known value of the time required to carry out the knotting operation inthe particular winding machine. in this way there results an especially advantageous system for carrying out the method of my invention wherein the knotting device, a monitoring member thereof or a command transmitter thereof, for example a knot tester or a thread regulator or broken end detector, is directly or indirectly connected to a pulse transmitter which, for each knotting operation, feeds a measuring pulse to a data processing installation wherein the measuring pulses received within the predetermined time interval are transformed into total time values which, after being added to the given time values for manual or servicing labor result in the handicap net efficiency indicated or printed-out by the data processing installation. If measuring pulses, which provide the actual net efficiency of production according to the multimoment method, are then also added to the data processing installation, it is possible to record one with another, both the handicap net efficiency and the actual net efficiency for each desired instant of time (for example at the change of shift or at each whole hour) by means of one and the same data processing installation. it is thereby possible to make a simple comparison between both the values of handicap net efficiency and actual net efficiency. if such a data processing installation registers, for example, the following values for winding machines I to V,

Winding Machine I ll Handicap Net Efficiency Actual Net Efficiency lll IV V which case the very poor handicap net efficiency has no significance. lf the external conditions of the winding operation are equal, however, for all of the winding machines, then the foregoing measured data indicated presumably that there is a disturbance in machine V which, after a short period of observation, can be rapidly located and eliminated.

The values of the actual net efficiency, show that the servicing employee of the winding machine ll fulfills her exact quota. The servicing employee at the winding machine I slightly exceeds her quota, the one at the winding machine III has greatly exceeded her quota, and the employee at the winding machine IV has not attained her quota by far. At the winding machine V, the actual net efficiency is still less than that of the winding machine lV. Since the actual net efficiency of the machine V is above the handicap net efficiency thereof, however, the individual servicing the machine V has produced more than corresponds to the quoted average. This example shows clearly that a very poor action or function of the winding machine does not unfavorably affect the evaluation of the activity of the servicing personnel. Consequently, the method of my invention is well suited for piecework payment of the servicing personnel because a simple difference or balance formed between the handicap net efficiency and the actual net efficiency provides an absolute value for the activity of the servicing personnel.

My invention is basically suitable for all automatic winding machines, no matter if the machine is of the individual spindle type wherein each winding station is provided with its own knotting device, or if it is of the group winding machine type wherein a number of winding stations are serviced by one and the same knotting device.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in method and device for monitoring the production process of automatic yarn winding machines, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying single FIGURE of the drawing showing by a flow diagram the system for carrying out the method of the invention.

As shown in the FIGURE, a monitoring device or command transmitter for the knotting device, for example a knot tester or a broken yarn end detector is operatively connected to a pulse transmitter which, for each knotting operation, feeds a measuring pulse to a data processing installation wherein the measuring pulses received with a predetermined time interval are transformed into total time values which are then added to given time values for servicing labor to give the handicap net efficiency which is indicated or printed-out by the data processing installation.

I claim:

1. Method of monitoring the production process of an automatic winding machine which comprises feeding to a data processing installation, measuring pulses corresponding to the times a knotting device is operated within a predetermined time interval, converting the pulses to a total operating time value, feeding to the data processing installation a time value corresponding to an average down time value for servicing the winding station so as to eliminate shutdowns thereof, and determining from the time values in the data processing installation average down time values for average servicing and forming a ratio of the average down time values to the total operating time values of the machine that is the handicap net efficiency to form the handicap net efficiency.

2. System for carrying out a method of monitoring the production process of an automatic winding machine, comprising knotter monitoring means, a pulse transmitter operatively connected to said knotter monitoring means for transmitting at least one measuring pulse for each operation of the knotter, a data processing installation having a converter connected to said pulse transmitter and adapted to convert said measuring pulses therefrom to total operating time values, means for feeding given down time values for servicing the winding machine to said data processing installation, said data processing installation including a device for determining from the time values fed to said data processing installation average down time values for average servicing and forming a ratio of the average down time values to the total operating time values of the machine that is the handicap net efficiency, and means for showing the handicap net efficiency.

3. System for carrying out a method of monitoring the production process of an automatic winding machine, comprising means for transmitting commands to a knotter, a knotter monitoring means, a pulse transmitter operatively connected to said knotter monitoring means for transmitting at least one measuring pulse for each operation of the knotter, a data processing installation having a converter connected to said pulse transmitter and adapted to convert said measuring pulses therefrom to total operating time values, means for feeding given down time values for servicing the winding machine to said data processing installation, said data processing installation including a device for determining from the time values fed to said data processing installation average down time values for average servicing and forming a ratio of the average down time values to the total operating time values of the machine that is the handicap net efficiency, and means for showing the handicap net efficiency.

4. Method of monitoring the production process of an automatic winding machine comprising the step of measuring at predetermined time intervals the down time and total operating time of said machine, determining from said down time and said total operating time the actual net efficiency, measuring during said predetermined time intervals the average down time for average servicing resulting from actual past experience and the total operating time of said machine, determining from said average down time and said total operating time a handicap net efficiency, and comparing in said predetermined time interval the actual net efficiency to the handicap net efficiency. 

1. Method of monitoring the production process of an automatic winding machine which comprises feeding to a data processing installation, measuring pulses corresponding to the times a knotting device is operated within a predetermined time interval, converting the pulses to a total operating time value, feeding to the data processing installation a time value corresponding to an average down time value for servicing the winding station so as to eliminate shutdowns thereof, and determining from the time values in the data processing installation average down time values for average servicing and forming a ratio of the average down time values to the total operating time values of the machine that is the handicap net efficiency to form the handicap net efficiency.
 2. System for carrying out a method of monitoring the production process of an automatic winding machine, comprising knotter monitoring means, a pulse transmitter operatively connected to said knotter monitoring means for transmitting at least one measuring pulse for each operation of the knotter, a data processing installation having a converter connected to said pulse transmitter and adapted to convert said measuring pulses therefrom to total operating time values, means for feeding given down time values for servicing the winding machine to said data processing installation, said data processing installation including a device for determining from the time values fed to said data processing installation average down time values for average servicing and forming a ratio of the average down time values to the total operating time values of the machine that is the handicap net efficiency, and means for showing the handicap net efficiency.
 3. System for carrying out a method of monitoring the production process of an automatic winding machine, comprising means for transmitting commands to a knotter, a knotter monitoring means, a pulse transmitter operatively connected to said knotter monitoring means for transmitting at least one measuring pulse for each operation of the knotter, a data processing instalLation having a converter connected to said pulse transmitter and adapted to convert said measuring pulses therefrom to total operating time values, means for feeding given down time values for servicing the winding machine to said data processing installation, said data processing installation including a device for determining from the time values fed to said data processing installation average down time values for average servicing and forming a ratio of the average down time values to the total operating time values of the machine that is the handicap net efficiency, and means for showing the handicap net efficiency.
 4. Method of monitoring the production process of an automatic winding machine comprising the step of measuring at predetermined time intervals the down time and total operating time of said machine, determining from said down time and said total operating time the actual net efficiency, measuring during said predetermined time intervals the average down time for average servicing resulting from actual past experience and the total operating time of said machine, determining from said average down time and said total operating time a handicap net efficiency, and comparing in said predetermined time interval the actual net efficiency to the handicap net efficiency. 